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Tag: Kashmiri pandit

  • Rogan Josh

    Rogan josh is the best-known dish of the Kashmiri wazwan and of Kashmiri Pandit home cooking. Rogan refers to the fat or red oil, and josh to heat or intensity. The Persian-influenced dish took two directions in the valley: Muslim cooks use onions, garlic and maval (cockscomb flower) for colour, while Pandit kitchens skip onion and garlic entirely and rely on asafoetida, yogurt and spice.

    This Pandit version gets its brilliant red from Kashmiri chillies, which are mild and fragrant, and its distinctive character from fennel powder and sonth (dry ginger), the two pillars of Kashmiri spicing. Mutton is browned in mustard oil, simmered in whisked yogurt, and cooked until tender with a thin layer of red oil floating on top.

    It is served on festive days like Shivratri (Herath) and at family feasts, always with plain steamed rice. A good rogan josh is never thick or creamy; the gravy should be thin and intensely flavoured. In Pandit homes it is cooked in large quantities for Herath and eaten over several days. The flavour deepens overnight, so it is a good dish to make ahead. Kashmiri households also serve it alongside haak and a simple radish chutney to cut through the richness of the meat.

    At a glance

    RegionJammu and Kashmir
    CuisineKashmiri
    DietNon-vegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time105 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsmutton / yogurt / Kashmiri red chilli / fennel powder / dry ginger

    Ingredients

    • 750 g bone-in mutton (shoulder and leg), 5 cm pieces
    • 5 tbsp mustard oil
    • 1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida), dissolved in 2 tbsp water
    • 4 green cardamom, 2 black cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves
    • 1 cup thick curd, whisked smooth
    • 3 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder mixed with 3 tbsp water
    • 2 tsp saunf (fennel) powder
    • 1 tsp sonth (dry ginger) powder
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 cups hot water

    Method

    1. Heat mustard oil in a heavy pot until it smokes, then let it cool for 30 seconds and set the heat to medium.
    2. Add the whole spices and let them sizzle for 20 seconds. Add the mutton and salt and fry on medium-high for 10 to 12 minutes, turning, until the meat is browned and the juices have dried.
    3. Add the hing water; it will splutter. Stir for a minute.
    4. Add the Kashmiri chilli paste and stir-fry 2 minutes until the oil turns deep red.
    5. Lower the heat. Add the whisked curd a few spoons at a time, stirring constantly, so it does not curdle. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until the curd is absorbed and oil separates.
    6. Add fennel powder, dry ginger and turmeric and stir 1 minute. Pour in the hot water and bring to a boil.
    7. Cover and simmer on low for 60 to 70 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mutton is very tender and the gravy has reduced to a thin, red sauce with oil on top. (Or pressure cook 4 to 5 whistles.)
    8. Sprinkle garam masala, rest 10 minutes and serve.

    Tips

    • Kashmiri chillies give colour without much heat; do not substitute regular chilli powder one to one.
    • Whisk the curd until completely smooth and add it slowly on low heat.
    • Bone-in meat is essential for body in the gravy, since there is no onion base.

    Serve with

    Plain steamed rice.

  • Kashmiri Dum Aloo

    Dum aloo is one of the most loved vegetarian dishes of Kashmir, served at Pandit weddings and festivals and eaten through the cold winters. Kashmiri cooking traditionally uses no tomatoes and, in Pandit kitchens, no onion or garlic, so the colour comes from Kashmiri chillies and the depth from yogurt, fennel and dry ginger.

    Small potatoes are boiled, pricked all over and deep fried until a crust forms, then cooked slowly in a red, yogurt-based gravy until they soak it up. The potatoes look fiery but taste aromatic rather than very hot, with a warm, slightly sweet fennel flavour and a sheen of red oil on the surface.

    It is eaten with plain rice or with roti, often alongside other Kashmiri dishes like haak (collard greens) and nadru yakhni. It is the vegetarian star of a Kashmiri feast. The potatoes can be boiled and fried a few hours ahead, leaving only the short simmer before serving. Choose small potatoes of even size so that they cook evenly and absorb the gravy at the same rate. A spoon of the red oil from the top makes a perfect drizzle over rice.

    At a glance

    RegionJammu and Kashmir
    CuisineKashmiri
    DietVegetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time40 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsbaby potatoes / yogurt / Kashmiri red chilli / fennel powder

    Ingredients

    • 500 g baby potatoes, similar size
    • Mustard oil for deep frying
    • 1/4 tsp hing
    • 2 green cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 black cardamom
    • 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 3/4 cup thick curd, whisked
    • 1 1/2 tsp saunf powder
    • 1 tsp sonth (dry ginger) powder
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric
    • 1/2 tsp garam masala
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 tsp salt

    Method

    1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 8 to 10 minutes until just tender. Peel while warm and prick each one all over with a fork or toothpick.
    2. Heat mustard oil in a kadai until it smokes, then lower to medium. Deep fry the potatoes for 6 to 8 minutes until golden and slightly crusty. Drain.
    3. Remove all but 3 tbsp oil from the kadai. On medium heat, add hing and the whole spices and let them sizzle for 20 seconds.
    4. Take the pan off the heat. Mix the chilli powder with 2 tbsp water and add it, then return to low heat and stir 30 seconds until the oil turns red.
    5. Add the curd gradually, stirring constantly on low heat, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until it thickens and loses its raw smell.
    6. Add fennel powder, dry ginger, turmeric, salt and water. Bring to a simmer.
    7. Add the fried potatoes, cover and cook on low (dum) for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes have absorbed the gravy and red oil floats on top.
    8. Sprinkle garam masala and serve hot.

    Tips

    • Pricking the potatoes lets the gravy seep in; do not skip it.
    • Adding chilli powder off the heat keeps it from burning and keeps the colour bright.
    • Some families add a pinch of ratan jot to the oil for an even deeper red.

    Serve with

    Plain steamed rice or phulkas.